


A Sailor and a Gentleman

by imogene_lovelace



Category: Mansfield Park - Jane Austen
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-12-27
Updated: 2007-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-13 05:34:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29148267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imogene_lovelace/pseuds/imogene_lovelace
Summary: InMansfield Park, our heroine Fanny Price is taken in by her rich uncle and grows up to be shy, prudish, and boring.  The plot of the novel revolves around the question of whether Fanny will end up with the dashing Henry Crawford or her equally dull and prudish cousin Edmund.  However, when Fanny's beloved brother William, a sailor in the British Navy, comes to visit, it becomes clear that the real love story of the book does not involve Fanny at all...
Relationships: Henry Crawford/William Price
Kudos: 1





	A Sailor and a Gentleman

**Author's Note:**

> In the account that follows, Austen's original text is in italics, while my renditions of missing scenes from the novel are in plain text. We pick up the story with Henry's first impressions of William Price:

_To Henry Crawford, [William's stories] gave a different feeling. He longed to have been at sea, and seen and done and suffered as much. His heart was warmed, his fancy fired, and he felt the highest respect for a lad who, before he was twenty, had gone through such bodily hardships and given such proofs of mind. The glory of heroism, of usefulness, of exertion, of endurance, made his own selfish indulgence appear in shameful contrast; and he wished he had been a William Price, distinguishing himself and working his way to fortune with so much self-respect and happy ardor, instead of what he was!_

_The wish was rather eager than lasting. He was roused from the reverie of retrospection and regret produced by it, by some inquiry from Edmund as to his plans for the next day's hunting; and he found it was as well to be a man of fortune at once with horses and grooms at his command. In one respect it was better, as it gave him the means of conferring a kindness where he wished to oblige. With spirits, courage, and curiosity up to anything, William expressed an inclination to hunt; and Crawford could mount him without the slightest inconvenience to himself..._

Henry Crawford could not help but admire William Price on their first day's hunt. He had listened to William's stories with a mix of esteem and envy; that the young man had seen and done so much, and most of it of a heroic nature, made Henry feel downright inadequate. How could it be so that a lad with such a meager start in the world could make a man such as himself feel envy? It displeased Henry greatly, yet he found himself seeking out William's company nonetheless. 

To see William hunt, however, was a different thing entirely. Both Henry and Edmund were as excellent horsemen as could be expected from a rigorous education in riding and much leisure with which to practice, and perhaps in manners of technical skill William was their inferior. However, his handling of the horse bespoke of a certain instinct with the animal which neither Henry or Edmund could ever possess - although his riding might be a trifle less elegant, in the heat of the chase he was the most sure. William had ridden all manner of steeds in all manner of terrain, whereas his companions had only the experience of steady English steeds in steady English country. 

It did not escape Henry's notice that he and William had far more to say to each other than either did with the more reserved Edmund, and thus he was secretly pleased when Edmund excused himself from the day's sport with professions of urgent correspondence. William and Henry pursued their quarry with greater speed and abandon than the cautious Edmund had allowed, and much exultation and shoulder-clapping ensued upon the success of their hunt. 

William settled himself in the grass and sighed contentedly. "There are a lot of fine places in the world, but I do say that the English country is the finest. Wild enough to give a bit of sport, but safe enough to really relax." 

Henry sat down a bit more gingerly next to him, mindful not to get any dirt on his clothes. "And the scenery is beautiful." 

"Indeed. But you should really see Sicily, you know. There's no place like it. The sea is cold and harsh here, but there it's warm and inviting. And the food! We'd have a grand time." 

It was a moment before Henry remembered to keep up his end of the conversation, as he was envisioning himself and William wading in the Mediterranean. "It must get lonely, though, being at sea so much. Without the company of your family, or young ladies." He smiled knowingly at William. 

"I do miss Fanny, but otherwise I don't mind. She's the only girl I have much patience with, anyway. Except your sister, of course," added William hastily. Henry hurried to assure him that no offense was taken. 

"There are some fine fellows I've served with," continued William, "and they're as good company as any." Owing to something in William's eyes and manner, Henry began to suspect a greater significance in these words, and he was confirmed in this belief when William moved his hand so that it just brushed the outside of Henry's thigh. 

"I can't stand the thought of going back to the house just yet, can you?" asked William. "It's funny, when I'm at sea I think about how nice a real house and a soft bed would be, but when I've had them for a few days I feel cooped up and want to get out in the air again. It makes me feel more alive." 

William's hand, encountering no resistance, was beginning a slow but steady progression up Henry's thigh, which was in turn causing Henry to feel increasingly flushed. Henry had heard of the sorts of things lads got up to in the Navy, and at present he couldn't think of a good reason why he shouldn't find out for himself. He supposed that most people would regard it as sinful, but he and his sister had always espoused a much more liberal personal philosophy. Henry Crawford was a man accustomed to getting what he wanted, and he was fast arriving at the conclusion that what he wanted at this moment was for William's hand to continue towards its inevitable destination. 

**********

Several days and many furtive encounters later, _a very friendly note was brought from Mr. Crawford to William, stating that as he found himself obliged to go to London on the morrow for a few days, he could not help trying to procure a companion; and therefore hoped that if William could make up his mind to leave Mansfield half a day earlier than had been proposed, he would accept a place in his carriage. Mr. Crawford meant to be in town by his uncle's accustomary late dinner-hour, and William was invited to dine with him at the Admiral's. The proposal was a very pleasant one to William himself, who enjoyed the idea of traveling post with four horses, and such a good-humoured, agreeable friend..._

William and Henry did indeed dine with the Admiral, and Henry's effusive praise and William's excellent manners and engaging personality soon made him a favorite with Henry's uncle. Despite Henry's purpose of advancing William's career through this meeting, after dinner Henry found himself wondering just how much conversation was required in order to secure a promotion for William, since he was quite anxious to retire for the night. He had insisted that he and William would be most comfortable in the rooms farthest from his uncle, and the prospect of being alone with William for an entire night made him look frequently at the clock during the Admiral's speeches. 

When at last the Admiral's yawns bade him excuse himself from the young men, William insisted on pilfering some cooking oil from the kitchen. Henry was initially extremely puzzled, but its use was made clear to him later in the evening when William completed his initiation into the ways of sailors. 

Just as Henry was beginning to feel recovered from his exertions, William, who was sprawled rather indecorously across his midsection, spoke. 

"Henry, what would you say to marrying my sister?" 

"Fanny? Why on earth would you ask such a thing?" 

William propped himself up on one elbow to look Henry in the eye. "Because no one else will marry her, Henry, and she'll spend the rest of her life cooped up in that house being harped at by my horrid aunts, and I can't bear it." 

Henry hardly knew what to say. Fanny was a sweet girl, and they had been getting on lately, but she was not exactly the wife he had envisioned for himself. She was so terribly shy, and always worrying about what everyone else thought. But then again, he had never imagined himself naked on a bed with a handsome sailor, either. 

Sensing his hesitation, William continued. "Besides, think of what it would mean for us! I would visit you every time I had leave, and the three of us would have such jolly times together! And at night, well, Fanny needn't know what we two are doing." This last statement was accompanied by caresses that led to momentary distraction. 

"So you wouldn't tell her?" Henry asked. 

"As much as I love my sister, she can be a bit...shortsighted about certain matters. So can a lot of people, for that matter. But no one would think it odd for me to spend time with you if you're married to my sister, right?" 

Henry had to admit he had a point. Perhaps he could get used to the idea of being married to Fanny. He promised William that he would consider it. 

**********

By the time the announcement of William's promotion arrived by post, Henry had made up his mind that a marriage to Fanny would be quite unobjectionable. She was really quite beautiful - now that he thought about it, her resemblance to William was striking. In light of William's praise, he began to see her many fine qualities. And, given how much she adored her brother, what better means of endearing himself to her than by telling her how he had secured William's place as a lieutenant? 

Henry rushed with the letter to Mansfield Park, admitting to Fanny that _his last journey to London had been undertaken with no other view than that of introducing her brother in Hill Street, and prevailing on the Admiral to exert whatever interest he might have for getting him on._

**Author's Note:**

> The hitch in Henry and William's plans comes when, to Henry's great surprise, Fanny rejects his proposal of marriage. William and Henry's paths do not cross again in the remainder of the novel, but we can speculate that perhaps that night at the Admiral's is not their last together.


End file.
